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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. band — a music group
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. band — a ring
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bear — the animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. board — to get on
  22. mark — a trace
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com